This week, we bring you two great First Impressions reads to help round out your summer reading.

Mrs. Plansky's Revenge is the first in a new series from Spencer Quinn (known for his Chet and Bernie series); it's a rollicking mystery with a good dose of humor, centered on a widow in her 70s whose experiences with cybercrime lead her to embark on an overseas adventure.

Wendy Chin-Tanner's King of the Armadillos follows a considerably younger protagonist — teenage Victor Chin, diagnosed with Hansen's disease (leprosy) in the 1950s — through a historically informative and character-driven coming-of-age story.

Explore many more titles in our Immigrants and Expats category, try your hand at our latest Wordplay, and be sure to check out our exciting fall lineup of book club discussions.

With best wishes,

Davina Morgan-Witts

BookBrowse Publisher

Each month, we share books with BookBrowse members to read and review. Here are their opinions on two recently released titles.

"I really enjoyed this book! The writing style is witty and entertaining while shining a light on the serious nature of cyber crime. The author takes a familiar cyber scam and turns the tables on what is usually an unrecovered loss, revealing heroes where the reader least expects it. Hooray for Mrs. Plansky!" —Melanie B (Desoto, TX)

"Mrs. Planksy's Revenge is a delightful book, a nice combination of mystery, humor, and a little romance. Mrs. Plansky is a 71-year-old widow living a comfortable, if lonely, life. When she falls victim to cybercrime, she sets out on an international adventure to regain her fortune and her dignity. As an older reader, I appreciated that the protagonist/heroine was 71 years old." —Marian Y. (Troutdale, OR)

"This book would be a fun read for those who enjoy adventure stories and appreciate plot twists and turns. There is a flavor of a classier Columbo at work in solving challenges." —Pamela K. (Churchville, NY)

"A quick and entertaining read that I enjoyed more than I anticipated." —Earlece P. (Marietta, GA)

"To me it seems like no small feat to write historical fiction that is interesting, informative, and engaging. The main character is Victor, a 15-year-old Chinese immigrant living in New York in the 1950s. He has Hansen's disease (leprosy) and is compelled (pretty much required) to live in a leprosy community in the Deep South. We learn about separation from family and discrimination based on his disease as well as his ethnicity. The characters are diverse and engaging. The story is fascinating. Wonderful book!" —Carrie D. (Freeport, ME)

"King of the Armadillos should be on everyone's must-read list. Wendy Chin-Tanner's style is reminiscent of Anne Tyler and Ann Patchett in that she is an excellent storyteller and her command of language envelops you, so much so that I found myself frequently fully engrossed in her world and paid no attention to what was happening around me." —Mary S. (Bow, NH)

"Excellent fodder for book clubs. This is definitely a book not soon forgotten." —Becky D. (Gloucester, VA)

Along with Wendy Chin-Tanner's King of the Armadillos (above), you can peruse over 400 books in our Immigrants and Expats category, which features immigrant and expatriate life across a wide variety of times, places and experiences.

This is just one of 100+ themed categories you can explore on BookBrowse to find the perfect read for your book club or yourself. Members have full access to all categories, while non-members can view a limited number.

Only U.S. resident members are eligible to request free copies of the book club books but the discussions are open to all, so if you've read or plan to read one or more of these, do join us! You may also wish to sign up for a one-time notification when a discussion opens.

Solve our Wordplay puzzle to reveal a well-known expression, and be entered to win a one-year membership to BookBrowse!

The answer to the last Wordplay: T Wrongs D M A R

Meaning: It is not acceptable to do a bad thing just because someone else has done it.

The expression has a great many uses as it can be used in the context of it not being okay to do wrong to someone else because they have wronged you, such as it is not right to vandalize a person's property because they have vandalized yours. It can also be used in the context of it not being acceptable to justify something because one sees others do it - for example a politician justifying his untruths because others also lie. ... continued